Biden to appoint Covid-19 pandemic response head: Incoming chief of staff

Incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said President-elect Joe Biden will appoint a Covid-19 coordinator, who will lead the administration's pandemic response

Incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain says President-elect Joe Biden will appoint a COVID coordinator who will lead the administration's pandemic response.

Klain, speaking on MSNBC Thursday night, says the individual will have direct access to the president and will brief him daily on the pandemic. They will also have a team of people underneath them, who will coordinate vaccine distribution, address supply chain disruptions and improve access to testing.

Klain served in a similar role in 2014 under President Barack Obama, when he was the administration's Ebola response coordinator.

His comments illuminate how the incoming Biden administration is considering addressing the pandemic when Biden enters office next year. This week, he announced a panel of doctors and public health experts tasked with turning his campaign trail proposals for tackling COVID-19 into actionable plans.